


Moments Apart

by tobysbees



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 18:24:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5059300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobysbees/pseuds/tobysbees





	Moments Apart

He had been in the study since dinner, as always, searching for truths that he would not find while knotted inside her arms in bed. He didn’t turn as she tip-toed in to clear the plate of dinner he had eaten as he worked. She was just relieved to see he had eaten at all. Often he dove so deep into his work, basic tasks like feeding himself sunk to the bottom of the pool while he treaded through his conspiracies. She pressed him then.

“Mulder, you coming to bed?” She asked as she leaned over toward him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. He looked up and smiled at her, but only for a moment.

“In a minute, Scully,” he answered, “I just want to finish…”

His voice trailed off as his work absorbed him yet again. She leaned in and took the opportunity to kiss him on the head. It was a sweet and rare moment for her to be standing taller than him, while he sat in his desk focused on his work. She watched his lips curve into a smile of acknowledgement and then she slipped out just as quietly as she had slipped in.

Mulder had days like this every so often and she knew how easily one minute could stretch into one hour or the whole night. When he was in that mood, nothing could pull him from his office.

She didn’t mind him working late, but crawling into bed without him always felt just a bit lonely and falling asleep was just a bit harder. Tonight was one of those nights. She was lying awake, waiting for Mulder to come up, and letting her mind wander. She thought about his continuous search for Samantha and felt a pang of guilt for not staying by his side, helping him search as she did all those years ago. She thought about him sitting by his computer, reading up on UFO sightings and the latest abduction stories. It saddened her, not being able to take the darkness away from him. But how could she?

She let her mind wander further and it took the path it did most nights she was feeling lonely. She thought about William and wondered about the life he was leading now, without her. She wondered if he had grown up to be a good kid, if he was smart, if he was tough, if he believed in aliens. She allowed herself a smile at that last thought. She imagined him as though she never had to give him up, as though he lived in spare bedroom next to hers. She thought about taking him to baseball games and Mulder teaching him to hit a ball the same way he had taught her all those years ago. She thought about the family the three of them could have been and mourned that loss for herself and for Mulder.

Scully had teared up. She wiped her eyes and tried to purge her mind of this wishful thinking so she could get some rest. She rolled into the curve of the timeworn mattress on Mulder’s side of the bed. The pillow smelt of him and the mattress hollowed in the shape of his form. She curled into it, filling its void in hopes that it would return the favour. It wasn’t Mulder, but it was enough for her to take comfort in. She slowly drifted to sleep.

***

An hour or so later, when Mulder came upstairs and saw her sleeping on his side of the bed, he knew she had been crying. He knew why too. What he wasn’t sure of was whether she knew what kept him working late all these nights. Did she know that he wasn’t looking for Samantha anymore? Did she know he was looking for their son? He assured himself that she couldn’t know – she would have had the sense to stop him if she did. She had always been the sensible one.

Pushing his thoughts to the wayside, he slowly climbed into bed. He knew Scully was upset and he wanted to take this darkness away from her, but didn’t want to wake her. Carefully, he balanced himself against her as he brushed her hair out of her eyes. He anchored himself to her, to stop himself from slipping off the bed. He was hoping he wouldn’t wake her but Scully was a light sleeper, and she felt him lying beside her. She looked up with tired eyes and smiled at him, returning his embrace.

“You’re in my spot again,” Mulder teased.

“I know,” she said, and then shifted to give him more room on the bed. He followed, continuing to hold her. She returned the embrace, happy to have him there with her. He kissed her on the forehead as his fingers slowly traced the outline of the tattoo on her lower back.

They fell asleep like that quite easily – in each other's arms, while forgetting all the troubles in their lives.


End file.
